As a prologue to Florida State's season-punctuating Gator Bowl football victory over West Virginia, the top performers of the 2009 campaign - on and off the field - were honored at Saturday night's banquet in the Union Ballroom. Quarterback Christian Ponder and linebacker Nigel Bradham received the...[details]

2008 (Junior):At Florida State: A player with an enormous amount of talent who begins the 2008 season listed as the co-starter at the defensive tackle position...named the most dependable defensive tackle and the "Big Otis" award winner following a dominating spring...an emotional leader on the field and an inspiration in the weight room...Thacker is one of the strongest Seminoles...was becoming one of the most dominant members of the defense before he was sidelined for four games in the middle of the 2007 season...returned from a toe injury and started four more games at nosegaurd...will be counted on to anchor the middle of the defense and open things up for FSU's speed rush ends...will be a candidate for All-ACC honors by the time the 2008 season is over.

Sophomore Year (2007): Played in and started eight games during the regular season...missed the middle four games of the year because of a fractured big toe that he suffered in practice on Sept. 20...totaled a single-season career-high 23 tackles including a single-season career-high 4.5 tackles for minus yardage...his career-high of seven tackles came in the season opener against Clemson with five coming in the Seminoles' victory at Colorado...at least one tackle for minus yardage in four different games against Clemson, Colorado, Duke and in Florida State's victory over then-No. 2 Boston College.

Freshman Year (2006): Played in nine games on the defensive front while earning two starting assignments at the defensive tackle position against Boston College and Maryland...also earned playing time at the nose guard position during the season...was one of three true freshman to start at least one game on the defensive side of the ball...did not play in the first three games of the season but played in nine of the final 10 games with extensive playing time coming because of the number of injuries to players on the interior of the defensive line...recorded 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles for minus yardage and one sack in his first season as a Seminole...earned a career-high of five tackles against Wake Forest with a career-high three initial hits against the Demon Deacons...two tackles against Virginia, Western Michigan and Florida...had a tackle for minus yardage against Wake Forest and Florida and a half tackle for minus yardage against Boston College as a starter...first career quarterback sack came against Florida.

High School: Graduated from Sanford High School in 2006...a four-star prospect by Rivals.com...ranks as the No. 11 strong-side defensive end in the country...ranked as the 17th-overall player on Rivals.com's Postseason Florida Top 100...a preseason all-region selection by PrepStar magazine...named all-state second team in Class 6A by the Florida Sports Writers Association after a senior season that saw him rack up 120 tackles and six sacks...earned all-state honorable mention honors as a junior...represented Team Florida in the CaliFlorida Bowl and was named the No. 8 player on Rivals.com's Florida Hot 11 list following the week of practices and the all-star game...received high praise for a dominating performance in the CaliFlorida Bowl where he registered seven tackles, two tackles for minus yardage and two sacks...an all-conference performer in weightlifting throughout his high school career...appeared at the Miami Nike Camp as a senior and placed second among more than 250 participants with 45 reps on the bench press...chose Florida State over Virginia Tech, Maryland and West Virginia.

Personal: Born Nov. 3, 1987...major is social science...earned the Edith Gibbs Vaughan Award for Leadership during his high school academic career...father, Doug, was a defensive end and linebacker at Virginia Tech in the early 1970's...he was the Hokies' co-captain in 1975...his sister (JJ) plays in a band called "Seminole County" -- the band played at halftime of Florida State's Emerald Bowl game against UCLA in 2006.